The Spy: A Parable

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, lived a Righteous King. He was the most just and fair King that ever did live. He ruled over His land with honor and power and all of his subjects loved him dearly. That was all but one. The King had a host of loyal subjects that were very close to him, and served in his royal cabinet. His most loyal servant, was the head adviser on his cabinet. This adviser was well-loved among all the other cabinet members, as well as the people of the land. He was handsome and debonair, and always treated the King with the utmost respect and honor, never stealing away any of the King’s glory for himself.

That is until one day, when everything changed. You see, this chief adviser had grown tired of being merely, a subject to the King. He was sickened by giving all his glory to the King, when rightfully it should have gone to himself instead. So he began to plot a way to overthrow the King, and become king himself. So one day when the King was away from the castle, the head adviser put his plan into action. He had been planning for long enough to gather an army for himself; the Kings own subjects who would defect onto the side of the enemy. When the King returned home, he found that the head adviser had taken over the castle and had made a decree that he would be the new king.

However, this adviser was very ill-informed. His own staff was smart, but far underestimated the power and might of their King. The King easily overthrew the adviser and had him removed from his castle, and the entire land. The adviser was banished to a land so far away, that it was as if he was in another world. The King was so majestic and beautiful, especially when he displayed his awesome force of power, that the people soon forgot about the evil adviser. The land was filled with hope and joy all of its days, because this King was one that could never be taken from his throne.

It was not long before the evil adviser had hatched another plan to take down the King. This one was more evil than the last, and was not going to be thwarted. The evil adviser, or the enemy of the King, was going to hit him where it hurt the most. His only beloved child; the princess Faith. The princess was yet still a baby, wrapped in swaddling cloth. She had hair as golden as the sun and eyes as blue as the sky itself. It was if she was created in heaven and then sent down on a cloud into the arms of the King, who absolutely adored her beyond words.

The baby was able to bask in the love of her adoring Father for only a few short months before the enemy captured the princess. It was oh so easy, the enemy thought. Too easy. He was able to send some of his best men in and steal this precious bundle, as if taking candy from a baby. He stole the princess away and placed her in the home of a family in the new kingdom he had established for himself. A kingdom that was based on principles of fear and hate. The enemy king ruled with an iron fist. No one was to come against him, or they would be severely tortured. He was to be worshiped like a god, or penalty of death. The enemy king wanted complete loyalty, and because his servants knew he didn’t deserve it, he had to force it upon them.

The princess babe grew up in a poor home on the outskirts of a impoverished town. She was now the daughter of a farmer and a wash-woman. Faith would spend her days doing slave labor in the castle, along side of her poor mother who was always very ill. The princess had no idea of her birthright, and neither did her adoptive parents. She was absolutely beautiful; radiant even, but the evil king made sure to take every action to suppress her beauty as soon as he could. Soon Faith looked like nothing more than a beggar child, dirty and unkempt.

The evil king kept the princess working in the castle so he could keep an eye on her. All servants in the castle were made to worship the king morning and night. Those who didn’t, were beaten or beheaded, depending on the kings mood that day. So Faith was beaten severely on a daily basis for many years, for refusal to worship the evil king. He would not kill her, because he had yet a much greater plan for her. If he could turn the King’s only daughter into a loyal servant for his side, then that would be the best revenge ever. That foolish King thought he was so wonderful; his foolish people adored him. Well what would they all think when he showed The King his prize jewel, stolen away for himself.

Year after year went by as he kept Faith under his thumb. Her beauty and radiance begin to fade as she lived a life of brutality and fear. She worked herself to the bone, day in and day out, until eventually she felt defeated by her terrible life. The princess had no idea of her true identity. She only knew that if she could simply die, she could finally escape her living hell. All her hopes for something better died by the time she was a teenager, once she realized that escape was never even an option.

Meanwhile in the land of the Righteous King, the whole land was in mourning. When the princess was born, everyone rejoiced. She was indeed a gem in the crown of the King, but when Faith was kidnapped, it was as though the heavens began to cry. Rain poured down into the kingdom for 7 days and nights after her disappearance. The King sent out a search party to find Faith, and each one came back empty-handed, until finally the King himself went out looking for her. He too came back empty-handed, and that was when the people began to weep and moan for the great loss. The princess was to inherit the kingdom, and be a great and wonderful ruler in her own right. Now it would never be. The people had to let go of Faith, and move on with their lives.

Little did the people know that the King knew exactly where the princess was the whole time. Secretly he went to watch over her, and sent his most top-secret spies to keep tabs on her life as she grew. You might wonder why the King would allow his precious daughter to remain in the grasp of pure evil, yet the King had a much greater plan indeed.

As the princess entered adulthood she began to spend more time with the evil king, working for him as a royal secretary. By this time Faith had grown accustomed to the ways of the evil king and even worshiped him without being forced to. She enjoyed getting to know him, as he showed kindness and his softer side to her. She even began to feel what she thought was love towards him, as he offered her small trinkets of affection. It was the closest thing the princess had ever felt to love before, as far as she could remember. She became so close to the king, that within a year he asked her to become his bride.

The princess was delighted. She immediately went into training on how to be a royal queen. She could not simply become queen, she had to know all the ins and outs of the kingdom and how to help rule over it. She began to learn all of the everyday workings of the kingdom, and over the course of a year became extremely knowledgeable about every facet of the kingdom. Soon she was ready to marry the evil king, and become the queen of darkness, ruling along side of him.

Years went by as the princess aided the king in his kingdom. She knew all of his secrets, including the devices and tricks of his army. The king had used his powerful army to defeat many countries, and there was only one that was invincible besides his. The Righteous Kingdom. The queen of darkness knew of the Righteous King, but somehow knowledge of who he was or what his land was like had alluded her. When she asked questions, the evil king always told her stories of how cruel the king was, and how dark the land was. Always filled with despair and disease. In her heart she grew hatred towards this Kingdom, and wanted to destroy a King that would be so evil. For you see, the queen of darkness had been quite convinced that she was actually a good queen, who ruled along side the only king that was just and true. After so many years of conditioning and training to be who he wanted her to be, Faith had no idea what true evil she was involved with.

Finally the king and queen prepared to go to war against the last country that was standing against them. The Righteous Kingdom. They gathered their massive armies together and headed towards the Kingdom with every weapon that had been prepared for just this moment. They were ready to eradicate the King and take over his Kingdom for their own. As they rode up towards the castle on steeds of black, the Righteous King rode out to meet them with his own army. His steed was pure white and He was majestic and glorious to behold. He had no fear in his eyes, only Truth and Power. His sword was polished steel and gleamed in the sunlight. His armor was of pure silver, and absolutely impenetrable. As the queen of darkness beheld this King of Glory, she could not believe her eyes. He was so pure and righteous that she could not deny it for even a second. As the King got off of his horse to greet the evil army, the queen stopped and stared. She had no idea who this King was, but she knew he was more than her eyes could bear.

The queen jumped off of her horse and began to bow to this King. Her husband, the evil king jumped off of his horse and grabbed her by the arm, cursing at her. How dare she make a fool out of him in favor of this so called King. Did she not remember all he had prepared her for? Did she not understand the importance of defeating him? All the years learning at his side for this very day? Faith looked up at the Righteous King and his eyes were soft and kind. In that moment a light flickered in her heart. A light that she thought to be long dead. And with that light, a faded memory, that crept in so quietly.

A tiny baby, wrapped in swaddling cloth, and a Father, holding her, singing sweetly over her. Faith was transported for a moment into another world where she saw herself as that baby; so beautiful and so very loved. She saw the King holding her and telling her she was his beloved daughter, forever. The queen opened her eyes and tears began to stream from them as she was filled with sorrow and grief. This King was not her enemy. This King was her Father.

“Yes daughter. It is I; your Father. And I am here to take you home now. Where you belong. Are you ready to come with me?”, the King said.

“Father?”, she questioned. “You cannot mean me…for I am terrible and cruel. I am nothing like you. I am filled with evil and the ruler of hell itself. I have done many evil things in my life, and I have hated you with all that I am. I cannot go with you. I will never be good enough for someone as Righteous as You.”

The evil king laughed wildly. At last the moment he had been working on for three decades had come to pass. He had stolen away something good and pure, and made it as hateful as he. He had corrupted righteousness and made it evil. And now he was using it against the King, and his revenge was set. Victory was at hand, at last!

“My daughter. You mistake me for someone I am not.” said the Righteous King.”For I am not a man who would value you for who you appear to be on the outside. Your actions are no match for the purity that I have bestowed upon you before you were born. For you, daughter, are a product of my love. And it is your heart that I have come for. Your heart is still pure and beautiful, even under the facade of evil you impersonate.”

With those words the princess fell at the King’s feet, begging him for forgiveness. He took her by the hand and lifted her to her feet, embracing her tightly. “I have waited so long for this day. The day I could hold you and tell you I love you, face to face,” he said.

Faith wept tears of joy and tears of relief. She had waited her whole life to be loved and to be accepted. Faith had been beaten down by life and molded into something that pain made her. She had tried to become something she was never meant to be, in order to survive in this world. And now she was finally free. Free to be the queen of righteousness she was created to be, and to rule with the King over his Kingdom.

The enemy was absolutely horrified and rode away with his great armies in shame, once again. This did not deter him away from his ultimate goal however. He was now more determined than ever to defeat the Righteous King. He was going to steal away every single one of his loyal subjects, even if it took his entire lifetime. He would turn the King’s own people against him, and form an army that would take over the entire Kingdom. There was nothing that could possibly stop him this time.

That is except for Faith. After years living in the evil king’s domain, she now knew all of his secrets. She knew how he worked, how he thought, and how to stop him from taking over the people of the Righteous Kingdom. After all, she had just spent three decades as a spy. The evil king did not stand a chance. It was time now to learn under the Righteous King, and his plan on how to defeat this evil, once and for all.

The End.